


Judged

by SamuelJames



Series: Meeting Nathan's Needs [1]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Domme/sub, Established Relationship, F/M, Offscreen Character Death (submissive OC)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:17:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4954819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamuelJames/pseuds/SamuelJames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duke indirectly insults Nathan by making comments about submissive desires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Judged

**Author's Note:**

> _Title: Judged_   
>  _Pairing: Audrey Parker/Nathan Wuornos_   
>  _Rating: 15+/R_   
>  _Summary: Duke indirectly insults Nathan by making comments about submissive desires._   
>  _Disclaimer: This transformative work has been created purely for entertainment purposes. No profit is made or sought. No copyright infringement is intended._   
>  _Archiving Information: Please do not archive elsewhere on the net._

Nathan kneels as usual for Audrey to put his collar on. She crouches next to him, buckles the collar and kisses him softly. They both stand and she sends Nathan upstairs to change, putting away the office persona for the day.

She tries not to mix their home and work lives but he'd been quiet enough at work today to worry her, more quiet than the usual Nathan level of quietness. When she goes upstairs Nathan is sitting on their bed with his clothes neatly folded beside him and his hands clasped in front of him. He has his sweatpants and t-shirt on his lap but he's not making any move towards putting them on.

“What's wrong, Nathan?”

He takes his t-shirt and pulls it over his head. “Just something on my mind. I'll be okay.”

“Is it personal or work?”

“Work mostly, not that it's too much or anything. I don't want you to think that I'm not handling being in charge. I love that we get to help people but we find far more bodies than I'd like, when it's too late to save someone and then Duke...”

Audrey sits next to Nathan. “What'd he do this time? I thought you guys were getting along better.”

“We have been, by our standards. I know I still sometimes want to kill him but I've been considering him a friend at least until the Conrad case.”

“The one from last week?”

“Yeah.”

Audrey recalls the crime scene photos of Linda Conrad who'd been found with a scarf wrapped tightly round her throat. Her partner had been arrested and charged after their breath-play went horribly wrong. It wasn't a kink she and Nathan indulged in but she was familiar with some of the toys that had been taken as evidence. “Did Duke say something? I thought he'd be open-minded.”

Nathan nods but doesn't elaborate so Audrey rests her hand on his neck and slips her thumb under his collar.

“Talk to me, Nathan. I need to know what has you so upset.”

“We were boxing up the evidence. Duke packed the scarf and the flogger and I was putting away the paddles, clamps and cuffs. Obviously Duke didn't know he was insulting me but he cracked a joke that Linda would have been fine if she didn't like all this weird kinky stuff. I said each to their own and he was like yeah but you'd have to be messed up to want to be hurt. I know people don't always get it but it's hard knowing what he thinks of submissives. I shouldn't give a damn what he thinks but he's been beyond Haven, seen the world. I half thought he might be more kinky than either of us. I don't need his approval but it still got to me.”

“I'm so sorry, sweetie. It hurts to hear something like that. Do you think if Duke knew the nature of our relationship or if I explained it would help things?”

“No, no. Please don't tell him, Audrey.”

“I won't say anything. I never would without your agreement.”

“Thank you. I really don't want people at work to know and you know he'd blurt it out the next time we argued. That's the whole reason I hid this need for so long after college. This town is quaint and beautiful but if you're not the right type of person, it can be the loneliest place.”

Audrey knows that she's the first to know about Nathan's submissive nature since he graduated, that there were so many years when he couldn't indulge that part of him. He's right of course about Haven, she sometimes forgets how insular this town can be and she should be used to it by now. “I would never betray your trust. I just don't know how to fix this for you. Duke might ask questions if you suddenly stop being his friend.”

“If I cancel plans enough times he'll stop asking."

“I want you to have friends and other interests apart from me. I don't want to isolate you.”

“Like I was so social before. I've got you and the ladies in my craft circle. We can just use him for Troubled cases. He's practically full-time with us and I still don't know how that happened. There's nobody I can promote and hiring outsiders isn't always an option but we'll manage.” Nathan stands up quickly. “I should have started dinner already. He's your friend too. I don't want to cause problems."

He pulls on the sweatpants but Audrey takes his hand. At least Nathan talked to her, but like him she's surprised by Duke's attitude.

“I'm glad we talked. This is more important. Yes Duke is a friend and it's hard to imagine him not being a friend any longer but you matter more.”

Nathan gives her a small smile and walks away. She'll have to reinforce the message of how much he matters to her. He knows Colorado was just a fleeting moment before they were this. She's not sure how the guys she met on arrival went from threats and outright hostility to having each others' backs. It's hard to go through what all three of them have experienced unscathed and those bonds are clearly why Nathan is so upset but he is her priority.

She watches Nathan making dinner, moving easily round the kitchen and calling her over to taste test the sauce for the pasta. She puts her hand on his back as he stirs and he musters up a smile from somewhere. Their lives don't allow for a set routine but chores give him structure, so she doesn't say anything for now even though their earlier conversation has got to be on his mind too. Once dinner is over she has to order him to leave the dishes so he'll be comfortable sitting on the couch with her. He picks at the skin around his thumb nail and Audrey puts her hand on his to stop him.

“It's okay, Nathan, I'm not going to interrogate you. How you handle this is your choice and I'll support you. I love you and this is for keeps. Want to watch your favorite Bill Murray movie?"

They end up watching Ghostbusters in their room and halfway through he kisses her. They trade a few kisses without escalating things and when she pulls away she takes his hand.

"Thank you again for talking to me. I know it's not your favorite thing and like I said earlier I can't just fix this but I'll follow your lead."

Nathan nods. "When I feel like this with you, I just don't get how people can be so judgemental."

"They just think of the whips and chains part, see pain as a negative."

"It can be the most amazing thing."

Audrey kisses him again and squeezes his hand. He curls into her side paying little attention to the action on screen. He's snoring softly by the time the credits roll and Audrey slips away quietly to do the dishes so he'll have one less thing to stress over tomorrow. Duke is persistent and stubborn but Nathan is just as stubborn and she'll be there for him if Duke takes too long to get the hint.


End file.
